James heney mcleak



(No Model.)

J. H. MGLEAN.

CARTRIDGE.

Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

n. Pn'Ens. mmuhompw. ula-mmm, D4 c.

IUNTTBD STATES PATENT Ormea.

JAMES HENRY BICLEAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CARTRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part ot Letters Patent No. 282,550, dated August 7, lSSS.

Application filed May 23,1881. (No model.)

To all tall/0771, it may concern:

Beit known that l', JAMias HENRY MCLEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented Improvements in Cartridges, of which the following is a specification.

My improved cartridge is provided with a ease of paper, thin metal, or other suitable material in cylindrical form, with an open front, and a closed back. Vithin this case I insert a saucer shaped cup having a peripheral iiange to fit within the ease, and employed to center and support an axial tube which extends forward to the base of the bullet, and is centered thereon, said bullet having a solid tail, to be inserted into the tube, or a hollow tail or a cavity in the bullet itself, into which the tube may be inserted. The case is the full length of the cartridge-that is to say, it eX- tends forward as far as the front of the ball. The primer is placed between the open rear end of the axial tube and the interior of the imperforate back or base of the case, and is ignited by the stroke ofthe firing-pin against the outside of the ease.

My improved cartridge is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 'whichl Figure l is a central longitudinal section thereof, the bullet being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the caseor shell. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the combined tube and centering-eup- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bullet. Fig. 5 is a section of a shot-cartridge. Fig. G is a view of two bullets, one with a hollow tail and the other with a hollow in its base to receive the end of the tube.

The outer case, A, may be made of paper, thin metal, or other suitable material, with an open front and a closed and imperforate base, a. Inserted in thc shell or case from the front is a cup, C, the sides whereof fit within the interior of the ease, and serve to center and secure the rear end ofthe central tube, D, the front end of which receives the central tail, b, of the bullet B. The case A is made of sufficient length to extend to the front of the bullet B, so that the shell after discharge of the bullet will be of the same length as the loaded cartridge. This enables me to use the emptyT shell as a gage in feeding the cartridges into the gun, or the breeclrslide thereof, from suitable magazines, as I have described in certain applicationsI for patents on improvements in breeoh-loading and magazine flre-arms.

In constructing my cartridge the connected cup O and tube I) are inserted within the ease A, with a primer, E, of any preferred form, in position beneath the end of the tube, and between it andl the interior of base a.. The cup and tube may be made in one piece, or may be separate and secured together by fitting the end of the tube within or on the outside of a central collar on t-he cup. The primer E may be of disk form and setin a cavity, as shown, or may be'of cap form and be iitted on a nipple on the rear extremity of the tube D. The tube D and the case A around it are both filled with powder, and the tail b of the bullet fitted within the endof the tube; or, as shown in Fig. G, the tail of the ball or the base of the ball itself may be made hollow to receive the end of the tube. Vhen the tail of the ball is made solid, Iprefer to give it the form (insec-` tion) of a St. Andrews cross, as illustrated in Fig. 4, which is highly advantageous in improving its range and accuracy in iiight. The stroke of the firing-pin, being delivered on the center of the base a, acts through the thin material of the case on the primer E withimwhich is seat-ed on the end of the tube D, while the latter is seated against thebase of the ball B, so as to provide a rigid and eiiicient anvil to support the primer under the blow and insure its ignition. The tube may be without perforations, so that the powder within it will be first burned and `the main body of powder will then be ignited from the front; or the tube may be perforated, so as to ignite the entire body as promptly as possible.

My improved cartridge may be made either with or without a flanged base, as preferred.

The invention is applicable alike to military and sporting guns, and may be applied to a shot-cartridge, as I have illustrated in Fig. 5. Especially for cannon it is found desirable to form the ease with spiral or other ribs, as illus trated at f in Fig. 2, which afford a cushion in the first explosion of the charge, and hence avoid violence to the gun. After the cartridge IOO afforded for reloading the copper shell is a.A

great feature of utility in my cartridge, both for military and sporting purposes.

Iain aware that heretofore centering-rods have been employed in the construction of certain classes of cartridges, and that such devices have been combined with a tailed bullet, and, furthermore, that removable cups have heretofore been used in the construction of cartridges; hence,

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new thereinand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a cartridge for fire-arms, ordnance, &c., the hollow shell A, open at its front end and closed at its rear end, in combination with the cup C, fitting closely at its sides Within the shell A, and provided With a central aperture, the tube D,fsecured at its rear end to the front face of the cup around its aperture, and the ball JAMES HENRY MOLEAN.

Vitnesses:

GHAs. H. BALLMAN, JAs. MILLAN. 

